Im going to be changing the oil in my car this next weekend, and i know im going to use castrol gtx regualr oil since my car has its original gaskets and it leaks a little oil every once in a while, but im not sure about which oil filter to use.... the one on it is a fram... any recomendations? also this is my first oil change any tips? i have the car manual, should i just folow those steps? i plan on switching to synthetic oil when i get new gaskets, so until then im going to use regualr.

Toyota filter. It's pretty straight forward. Drive the car to warm up the oil, then let it sit for at least half an hour. That way you won't burn your hand on the turbo unscrewing the oil filter. If you are following the BGB instructions, you don't need to remove the alternator air duct to remove the filter.

I reuse the gasket on the drain plug, even though you're supposed to get a new one. I always check for leaks after a good long drive.

+1 to what stubble said. i also use the same crush washer for the drain plug. As for the oil filter, toyota will be fine (of course)...NAPA has also worked fine for me. idk if you've heard this or not, but im going to tell it to you as if you havent: make sure you coat the new oil filter seal with oil before installing it.

In addition, I use a screwdriver and tap a little hole in the top of the old filter before I take it off to make sure all the oil is out of the filter. Otherwise, before I did this I usually got some oil dripping down into the nether regions of the engine block where it'll burn off and smoke for a bit.

Also, I just idle the car for a few minutes instead of taking it for a drive.

I usually just use the FRAM filters because they are cheap and easy to get and I change them religiously. But the Toyota filters are better, and the Mobil 1 filters are probably just as good though a little more costly. I never use a oil filter wrench because I don't want to over tighten the filter.

Other hints:

Get a paper funnel from the parts store. It eliminates the chance of missing the fill spout.

I believe it the drain plugs is 14mm, so make sure you use a socket wrench or normal wrench. Don't use anything else, or you might strip the threads. Also, don't over tighten the drain plug. Loosen the plug with the oil drain pan already positioned under the opening.

Stubble wrote:Toyota filter. It's pretty straight forward. Drive the car to warm up the oil, then let it sit for at least half an hour. That way you won't burn your hand on the turbo unscrewing the oil filter. If you are following the BGB instructions, you don't need to remove the alternator air duct to remove the filter.

I remove it every time.
Takes only a minute, gives more room to tighten up the filter, & not worrying about burning my hands if the engine is still too hot.
+1 for Fram. The grip on it is nice too.

Tom
1990 ST185
1990 Corolla SR5
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it"

yeah everything went ok with the oil change, only thing is that toyota sold me the wrong filter, so instead of driving 15min back to toyota i just went to autozone and picked up a fram.. i have to pick up my new throttle body inlet tomorrow, so ill exchange the filter for the correct one. ill just you it on my next oil change